Present day Americans (and other nationals) have taken to the water in droves. Many people live on the water's edge, own various types of watercraft and participate in multitudinal water sports. Other people travel to the water to operate their watercraft and participate in water sports. In particular the public has been smitten with personal watercraft, i.e., a small high performance craft that is capable of carrying one person (the operator) but can usually accommodate one or more riders seated in tandem behind the operator. Such craft are referred to as “personal watercraft.”
These craft are powered by an internal combustion engine that intakes water into an impellor driven pump and expels a jet of water out of the back of the craft, thus propelling the craft through the water. The craft has a shallow draft and is quite powerful. The operator typically sits towards the front of the craft, straddles the seat, somewhat like a motor cyclist, and holds onto the handle bars. The handle bars serve to turn the water jet nozzle and/or rudders thereby steering the craft and provide a grip for the operator to hold onto thereby allowing the operator to remain with the vehicle while traveling over the water. Most of these craft include a lanyard interlock whereby, if and when the operator falls off of the craft, the engine stops (or disengages) and the craft comes to a halt in the water. The operator is then faced with the task of remounting the vehicle.
The operator will generally swim up to the rear of the craft, reach up and grab a hand rail or “grip” located at the back of the seat. The operator can then pull on the hand grip and remount the vehicle. Rearward remounting is the only possible method by which one may remount the craft from the water for, if one tries to mount from the side, the craft will flip over.
As mentioned earlier, these watercraft are capable of carrying passengers, usually one, but larger machines may carry more, in tandem. Unfortunately, accidents occur because the rear passenger falls or is ejected rearward from the craft, particularly during rapid acceleration and/or while passing over choppy waters. Little or nothing is provided for the rear passenger to hold onto other than gripping the operator about the waist. This problem may be exacerbated when the passenger is child (or small person) for it is very difficult for a child (or small person) to reach around the waist of an adult.
A seatback could be permanently provided for the rearward passenger. (A similar approach may be taken for each passenger—assuming more than one passenger.) Unfortunately, when the rear passenger is ejected from the craft, the only reasonable way for that passenger to remount the craft is by climbing up over the back of the craft and sliding onto the seat. If a seatback were in permanent position, it may be difficult for the passenger to remount the craft. However, a seatback would seem to be a minimum safety requirement.
The prior art in watercraft considers seatbacks. For example Zachary (U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,168) discloses an Adjustable Sissy Bar Device for a Jet Ski. Zachary contemplates a retrofittable device that attaches to the jet ski (water recreational vehicle) and forms a back brace that may be adjusted up/down to fit the back of the passenger (or driver in a small jet ski). The device inherently blocks access to the seat, from the back of the vehicle, and has no quick release mechanism that would allow the “sissy bar” to be moved out of the way of the re-mounting rider.
Sperberg (U.S. Pat. No. 6,021,734) discloses a Personal Watercraft and Brace Assembly (therefore). The Sperberg device is similar to the Zachary device in that the device adjusts to fit the back of the rider and is positioned at the aft end of the vehicle seat. The Sperberg device suffers the same disadvantage as the Zachary device in that it blocks rear access to the seat and has no quick release.
Mesinger (U.S. Pat. No. 1,240,587) discloses a Saddle for Motor Cycles which discloses a back brace that is similar in concept to both Zachary and Sperberg in that the brace is adjustable. In a much earlier disclosure Delaney (U.S. Pat. No. 377,147) contemplates a Head-rest for Barbers' Chairs. The Delaney device is similar to that of Zachary, Sperberg and Mesinger in that the head-rest adjusts up/down to support the head of a person sitting in the chair.
In the area of head-rests, Dinh et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,254 is notable in that Dinh disclose a vehicle Head Restraint that is rotatable about the back of a vehicle seat. Dinh claim that their device “ . . . is based on the object of simplifying the design of a retaining device for a head restraint . . . ” The head-rest is designed to rotate automatically under the effect of electromagnetic solenoid from the “upper functioning position” to the “non-functioning position.” Thus the device serves as a head restraint when up and has “no function” when it is down. Therefore the Dinh device does not contemplate or teach a rotatable swivel seatback for a watercraft.
Therefore there is a need for a passenger seatback on personal watercraft that will safeguard the passenger while the passenger is on the vehicle, yet will readily move out of the way to allow the passenger to remount the craft from the water, if and when the need occurs.